The final of the three recipes I learned on my most recent trip home was Lemon Rice — a light favorite of mine.  I like to eat warm lemon rice mixed with plain yogurt as a light lunch, and it also can be a part of virtually any meal.  My mom recommends eating it with grilled chicken and garnishing with peanuts (I am vegetarian and allergic to nuts so unfortunately I can't follow either of these recommendations).

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked, day-old (or just not fresh) rice
• 1 1/2 tsps. mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chilis, broken in half
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsps. uridahl
• 1 tsp. channa dahl
• 15 dried curry leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1 thai green chili, sliced
• Heaping 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tbl. fresh lemon juice
• salt
• vegetable oil

Directions:

• Warm up the rice in the microwave for 2 minutes or so
• In a medium pot or saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of oil on medium heat
• Add the mustard seed, dried red chilis and cumin
• When the mustard seeds start popping, add in the uridahl, channa dahl, curry leaves and turmeric.  Quickly stir the mixture, then turn off the heat.
• Mix in the shredded carrot and the thai chili, stirring quickly
• Mix in the warm rice, and when fully mixed, add 1 1/2 tsps. salt
• Finish with adding the lemon juice and making sure all the flavors are blended.  Add additional salt to pump up the flavor if you wish.

Garnish with peanuts if desired. 

This recipe is not only a family favorite, but also a favorite of family friends and visitors to my parent's house.  It can be made spicy or without much spice so it can serve a variety of guests.

Ingredients

• 4 – 5 Idaho Russett potatoes
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 dried red chili, broken in half
• 1/2 tsp. uridahl
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 6 dried curry leaves or so
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• vegetable oil
• salt

Directions

• Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1/3 inch square cubes
• Cover the chopped potatoes in cold water and add 1/2 tsp. salt (this will prevent discoloring of the potatoes during cooking and help take out some of the starch).  Let the potatoes sit for 5 – 10 minutes or so (can be longer, but as short as 5 minutes if you are in a hurry).
• The drain the water and roll the potato pieces in a towel to get the water out.
• In a saucepan, add 5 tsps. or so of vegetable oil and bring to medium heat.
• Add mustard seeds and cumin.
• When the mustard seeds start popping, add the dried red chili, uridahl, garlic and curry leaves.
• Saute for a minute or two, and then add in the potato.  Mix the potato in well so the potato pieces get coated with the mixture.
• Add turmeric.
• Let the potato cook, and stir from time to time.  When the potato starts getting brown and crispy, add salt to taste (start with 1 tsp — be fairly liberal as the salt really brings out the flavor).

Last week, I went home to my parents house in Michigan and learned three new Indian recipes.  The first that I learned — which takes the longest to prepare — is a very tasty and very healthy spinach and dal dish.   It is an excellent accompaniment to rice, any Indian breads or yogurt.  And although it takes about 40 minutes to prepare, most of that time it is just cooking in a pot so it's fairly hands-off. 

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. of frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup of mung dal/pappu (available at Indian grocery stores — it is yellow)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 thai green chilis (or other spicy fresh chilis), sliced lengthwise or chopped
• 1/8 tsp. turmeric
• 1 1/4 – 2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (2 or 3 tomatoes)
• 3 tsps. homemade tamarind paste (if you use store-bought tamarind paste, its usually more concentrated so probably use 2 tsps)
• 2 dried red chilis, broken in half
• 8-10 dried curry leaves
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 3/4 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 2 – 3 fenugreek seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Directions:

• In a medium pot, put in the mung dal and put in water to both fully cover the mung dal and have an additional 1/4 inch of water above the mung dal.  Increase heat so to bring the water to a boil.
• After 5 minutes or so (as the water heats, but before it boils), add the frozen spinach and the chopped onions.  As you put in those items, do not fully stir them in — you want the pappu to remain at the bottom of the pot for most of the cooking so it can get fully cooked. 
• Add in the turmeric and cover the pot.
• As the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Then add in the tomato, tamarind paste and approx. 2 tsp. salt
• Add water as appropriate — it should be a soupy consistency because it will continue to lose water as it cooks.
• Cover and cook the mixture an additional 7 minutes or so.
• In a seperate small pot, heat a small amount of vegetable oil on medium heat and add in the mustard seeds and cumin.
• When the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the fenugreek, garlic, dried red chilis and the curry leaves.  Saute the mixture together for a few minutes.
• When the flavors start to come out/blend together, add in a pinch of the asafoetida and saute.
• Pour the contents of the small pot into the simmering medium pot, remove from heat and stir the entire mixture (including the dahl at the bottom).  Add salt to taste (or lemon if you prefer) — it's better to overflavor a bit because the flavors will become muted as the mixture settles.
• Serve and enjoy!